Attachment for ironing table



March 23, 1965 F. DETWILER 3,174,237

Filed March 18, 1963 INVENTOR Horenmf 0e zM/ew United States Patent 3,174,237 AITACHh IENT FOR RONING TABLE Florence I. Detwiler, 8014 Richard Road, Cleveland 41, Ohio Filed Mar. 18, 1963, Ser. No. 265,758 6 (Ilaims. (Cl. 38-106) This invention relates generally to ironing tables, and more specifically to an ironing table attachment adapted to support overhanging articles being ironed, and this prevent their contact with the floor.

The principal objects of my invention are to provide a simple tray adapted for suspension from an ironing table, which tray is capable of easy attachment to the table, which is out of the operators way during use, and which is readily and easily stored upon removal of the tray from the table.

A further object of my invention is to provide the aforementioned tray with a structure enabling its use with different types of conventional ironing tables, and enabling its suspension from either side of a table to enable its use by either right or left hand operators.

A still further object is to provide support means for the tray which is attachable to ironing tables without requiring alteration of the table structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a tray suspended below and to one side of arr ironing table and protruding outwardly beyond the table edge, with the means for suspending the table being so positioned and located as to not interfere with articles being ironed on the table and supported on the tray.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, in which reference is made to the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is pictorial representation of one conventional type of ironing table, with the wire frame of my tray suspended at one side thereof and the cover member removed.

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the tray suspended from another conventional-type of table, and such view is taken as though looking substantially from right to left in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged View of the tray in storage position, hanging in a closet.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross-sectional View taken substantially along lines 44 of FIG. 1, illustrating my preferred type of tray.

Referring now to FIG. 1, one conventional type of ironing board or table has a wooden or metal table surface it), supported on rear legs 11 and 12 and a front leg 13. These tripod legs ii, 12 and 13 are customarily interconnected by various rods such as 14 and 15, and all of the legs and rods are adapted to be easily and conveniently collapsible against the underside of the table to enable it to be made fiat for easy storage while occupying a minimum of space.

The table surface 19 is ordinarily covered with a pad and cover (not shown) which encompasses the top and side edges of the table surface. The cover may be provided with a draw-string so as to firmly secure the cover to the table surface and maintain it there until it needs replacement.

Any conventional thin strap or belt such as 16 and 17 may surround the table as shown. Loops or books 18 and 19 may be held by the straps, and preferably form a part thereof. Conventional connecting buckles (not shown) are provided on the straps, and are fastened beneath the table. The books 18 and 19 are maintained in position near that edge of the table fiom which a tray 20 is to be suspended. It will be shown subsequently that the tray 2% may be adapted for mounting on either side of the table, so as to enable its use by either right or left hand operators.

The tray 20 may be made in various shapes, sizes, and of various materials, but I prefer to form it as a wire frame 30 in the particular shape of FIG. 1. This shape adapts itself well to the several different types of ironing tables, and I have found it to adequately serve to support the customary types of articles and garments ordinarily ironed.

The tray 29 is suspended from the table by a pair of L- shaped hangers 21 and 22, each of which has a horizontal and a vertical extension or leg. The vertical legs have hooks 23 and 24 at their upper ends, respectively, which hook-s engage the hooks 18 and 19 held in position by the straps 16 and 17. The horizontal legs of hangers 21 and 22 form hinge pins and cooperate with eyelets 25, 26, 27 and 28. The eyelets may be welded or otherwise fastened securely to the Wire frame 30. They are adapted to provide pivots for the legs to enable the hangers to be in supporting position as shown in FIG. 1, or to lie fiat against the frame 30 as shown in FIG. 3; Eyelets 31 and 32 may also be positioned on the wire frame just opposite eyelets 2'7 and 28 so that the horizontal leg of hanger 22 may cooperate with eyelets 31 and 32 when the tray 20 is mounted on the opposite side of the table from the position shown in FIG. 1. This feature is not necessary for hanger 21, since the shape of the frame enables the hanger to lie flat as shown in dotted lines, or be pivoted in either direction from the dotted line position to support the tray on either the right or left side of the table 10. When the horizontal leg of hanger 22 is mounted in eyelets 27 and 28, it will be seen that it can pivot only, and cannot be used as shown to support the tray 20 on the opposite side of the table. To enable this to be done, a cap or plug 33 on the outward end of the horizontal leg may be removed, the leg positioned on the other side of the frame 30 and inserted through eyelets 32 and 31, and the cap 33 replaced. A similar cap 34 is mounted on the outer end of the leg of hanger 21.

The entire frame is preferably covered with vinyl plastic or cloth cover member 35, which may be provided with elastic 36 so as to snap over the frame 30 and remain firmly in place. A cross-sectional view of the cover member 35 is shown in FIG. 4. In FIG. 1, the cover member 35 is simply shown by shade lines to illustrate its position, without obstructing the view of the structural parts.

It will be noticed from both FIGS. 1 and 2 that the inner edge of the tray 24 engages the supporting structure of the tables. Were this not so, the tray would tip at an angle because the greatest part of its weight is supported outwardly beyond the adjacent edge of the table 10. This engagement enables the vertical legs of hangers 21 and 22 to be truly or nearly vertical. No suspension member .from the table to the outer, overhanging edge of the tray is needed. Consequently, there are no supporting links, chains or other members to interfere with the normal droop of articles being ironed on the table. As a result, I have a cantilever structure supported entirely by simple hangers suspending vertically, out of the way, beneath the table.

In FIG. 3, I show the tray 20 hung from an elastic loop 37 on a hook in a closet bracket 38. At this time, the plastic cover will be in position and the loop 37 will extend around the elastic 36. It will be noticed that both hangers 21 and 22 lie flat against the tray 20. FIG. 3 also demonstrates in dotted lines the position of leg 22 if the tray is used on the opposite side of the ironing table from that shown in the drawings.

If the ironing table is left open and not stored, the tray 20 may be removed inverted, and laid flat on the top of the table to provide a dust cover.

Various changes may be made in the details of cor- Patented Mar. 23, 1965 struction without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In combination with an ironing table having supporting structure therebeneath, an attachment comprising a relatively flat tray with inner and outer edges, said tray being adapted to be suspended below said table to one side of the supporting structure, said outer edge extendable outwardly beyond said one side of said table, said tray adapted to be in a plane generally parallel to said table, said inner edge adapted to extend beneath said table and engage the supporting structure when so suspended, a pair of L-shaped hangers each of which has a horizontal leg and a vertical leg, means hinging the horizontal legs to said tray, said hinging means comprising structure enabling the hangers to lie fiat-against the tray when disconnected from the table, said horizontal legs being parallel and extending relatively outwardly from adjacent that edge of the tray engage-able with the supporting structure, downwardly depending first hook means on said table for supporting the upper ends of the vertical legs of the hangers, and second hook means on the upper ends of said vertical legs detachably mounting and freely suspending the tray on the first hook means on the table.

2. The invention set forth in claim 1 including a pair of thin straps extendable over and around the table and wherein said first hook means comprises a hook carried by each said strap.

3. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said hinging means includes a pair of eyelets for each horizontal leg on the upper side of said tray, and wherein the inner edge of said tray extends inwardly beyond the vertical legs of the hangers.

4. The invention set forth in claim 1 wherein said tray comprises a peripheral wire frame, wherein said horizontal legs extend substantially across said frame to form cross supports therefor, and wherein a thin, flexible cover is provided for said tray, said cover having means for fastening it around the edges of the wire frame.

5. The invention set forth in claim 4 wherein the wire frame is provided with eyelets at each point adjacent said horizontal legs, said eyelets constituting a portion of said hinging means.

6. The invention set forth in claim 5 including means on the outwardly extending end of each horizontal leg preventing disengagement of said legs from the eyelets.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION WITH AN IRONING TABLE HAVING SUPPORTING STRUCTURE THEREBENEATH, AN ATTACHMENT COMPRISING A RELATIVELY FLAT TRAY WITH INNER AND OUTER EDGES, SAID TRAY BEING ADAPTED TO BE SUSPENDED BELOW SAID TABLE TO ONE SIDE OF THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, SAID OUTER EDGE EXTENDABLE OUTWARDLY BEYOND SAID ONE SIDE OF SAID TABLE, SAID TRAY ADAPTED TO BE IN A PLANE GENERALLY PARALLEL TO SAID TABLE, SAID INNER EDGE ADAPTED TO EXTEND BENEATH SAID TABLE AND ENGAGE THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE WHEN SO SUSPENDED, A PAIR OF L-SHAPED HANGERS EACH OF WHICH HAS A HORIZONTAL LEG AND A VERTICAL LEG, MEANS HINGING THE HORIZONTAL LEGS TO SAID TRAY, SAID HINGING MEANS COMPRISING STRUCTURE ENABLING THE HANGERS TO LIE FLAT AGAINST THE TRAY WHEN DISCONNECTED FROM THE TABLE, SAID HORIZONTAL LEGS BEING PARALLEL AND EXTENDING RELATIVELY OUTWARDLY FROM ADJACENT THAT EDGE OF THE TRAY ENGAGEABLE WITH THE SUPPORTING STRUCTURE, DOWNWARDLY DEPENDING FIRST HOOK MEANS ON SAID TABLE FOR SUPPORTING THE UPPER ENDS OF THE VERTICAL LEGS OF THE HANGERS, AND SECOND HOOK MEANS ON THE UPPER ENDS OF SAID VERTICAL LEGS DETACHABLY MOUNTING AND FREELY SUSPENDING THE TRAY ON THE FIRST HOOK MEANS ON THE TABLE. 